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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Blog Tour: Pantomime by Laura Lam Review and Character Interview

Today we have the pleasure of hosting the Pantomime Blog Tour!!!! We were lucky enough to get to do a character interview with Micah! Be sure to check out my review at the bottom of this post.

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Hey Micah,
Thanks so much for visiting the YA Sisterhood!!!

Thank you for
having me, though I don’t quite understand this contraption you call a
computer. It must be Vestige.

We’ve got a
few questions for you!

1.) What went
through your mind with that first jump on the trapeze?

Honestly, not
a lot. It was the best plan I could think of at the moment to try and join the
circus, and looking back maybe it wasn’t the smartest one. But at least it
worked and I didn’t become a pancake of a boy like the ringmaster thought I
would.

2.) Besides
flying, What’s your favorite part of the circus?

The people. I like the friends I’ve
made here, and how no matter how different we all are, we have our own little
community. Arik, the other aerialist who is teaching me, has grown to be like
an uncle. And then there’s Aenea of course, my partner on the trapeze. Drystan
the clown, who used to frighten me but he doesn’t anymore. The “freaks” of
Tauro the Bull-Man, Juliet the Leopard Lady, Bethany the bearded woman. Granted,
there’s some here I’m not so keen on, but on the whole I think I’m winning them
over to my side.

I also like that we’re separate. This
is our own haven. Already, I feel removed from the city folk, even though I
used to be one of them. We’re out here on the beach, playing a joke on the
world.

3.) There is
so much magic surround the Alders. What’s the coolest artifact you’ve
ever come across?

‘Coolest?’ As
in cold temperature? I’m afraid don’t know what you mean. There was one I saw
in the Mechanical Museum of Antiquities that chilled me to the core. The Brass
Woman. But I don’t want to say too much about her.

4.) Tell us
something about you that we don’t learn in Pantomime.

My
first memory is a strange, bright light. Blue and green. I don’t know what it
means, but I dream of it sometimes.

5.) Just for
fun, we have a few this or that questions for you! Choose your favorite
(or which one you are more prone to) of the pair, and feel free to elaborate!

Love or War?
Love

Fire or Ice?
Fire

Water or Sky?
Sky

Kiss or
Cuddle? Cuddle

Fight or
Flight? Flight if possible, fight if I have to.

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Pantomime by Laura Lam

ARC received from Strange Chemistry

Release Date: 2-5-2013

Reviewed by:Middle
Sis Jenn

After reading this book, I’m kind of stuck in limbo as to my
impression of it.It was definitely the
strangest book I have ever read; I’m just not sure if strange is for me or not.

So, I’ll start with the things I enjoyed.I loved the world in which Pantomime was
set.It is an old world, full of
superstitions and the briefest hint of magic.At one time, there were beings called Alders who were, essentially, like
gods.They were beautiful and
intelligent and strong, and most importantly, they were magical.However, at some time for some unexplained
reason, the gods either left or died out.But, they left behind remnants and artifacts of their magic.These were the things that were so
interesting in the book.I wish there
would have been more because I just know that these Alders are going to play a
role in the future books!

I also enjoyed seeing inside the world of the strange.The circus was fantastic—macabre yet
beautiful.The inside look into the
minds of these people was brilliant, and I found myself pleasantly surprised by
how much I felt for them.I’ve always been
a fan of the circus, and Pantomime allowed me to live it.

Now, what bothered me.First off, I felt there were way too many details.There were entire pages I skipped and never
missed a single important detail.There
was never a time when I had to go back and read what I skipped.That tells me that the book is too long, and
it needed to be edited down.It was
almost 400 pages, and I think it could have easily been in the 300 area.I might have had an easier time staying
focused had it been shorter.

The thing that bothered me the most was that the blurb did
not fit the book at all.I was under the
impression that there was some sort of magic or evil that Micah and Gene were
going to uncover, but there wasn’t anything like that, at least in this first
book.(I think there might be more magic
in the next one).Instead, it was
focusing on Micah and Gene and their struggle to be comfortable in their own
skin.It was more of a coming of age
tale in the world of mystery and magic than it was anything else.The subject matter (which is a huge spoiler
and I won’t say anything else) also bugged me.The sexual components of the story were awkward for me, as well.I’m not sure I would recommend it to many
readers.

After looking at other reviews, many people loved it.I will admit it was unique and I have not
read anything like it, but I’m afraid it ranked too far up on my weird-o-meter
for me to truly enjoy it.With all that
being said, I still find myself wanting to know what’s next.So, who knows, maybe after giving it some
space, I will think differently and look forward to the next book.